Saturday, November 03, 2007

The Bearcats pulled one out although they shouldn't have. Maybe the ugliest college football game in history. No football game, at any level, should last 4 hrs and 15 minutes.

By the way, there's 48 seconds left in the game, you have the ball 4th and 10 on your opponent's 31 yard line, what the hell are you doing running a fake field goal that gives the opponent the ball on the 40 yard line? Stupid.

But regardless, it's a good day.

When I was a kid I remember reading about Bear Bryant and how he would give kids scholarships, not to play for Alabama, but to not play for Auburn or Georgia.

Ever since I read that article, I've always had my shorts in a bunch with the traditional college football powers; OSU, Notre Dame, USC, Oklahoma, Michigan, Alabama, etc. and I'm always in the hunt for those elusive upsets against those powers.

So it's always a good day when my Bearcats win. It's even better when Notre Dame loses to..... Navy? In addition, it's an awesome day when Kansas slaps 76 POINTS on...... Nebraska? It's never been sweeter on Saturday.

Next Tuesday, Hamilton County residents get to vote on a 1/2% increase in the county's sales tax to support construction of a jail and other crime programs.

This issue has made numerous unlikely bedfellows with guys like me agreeing with the NAACP (against) and Mark Dann siding up with Simon Leis (pro).

My recommendation is to vote no on this tax. Just as I indicated last month.

But Gordon, you are a law and order kind of guy why would you vote no.

Let's begin with the jail itself. As a libertarian, I'm always preaching roads, police and fire. This jail is part of the police. Why would I be against it? Because this jail is the first priority of government, not the add on. This jail should already be paid out of the county general fund; well before the Hamilton County Job and Family services budget gets it's first dollar. Instead the county is being blackmailed into approving the tax or else "we'll have all these criminals on the street!".

Why don't we get to vote on funding the less important roles of county government, instead of the first? County commissioners Portune and Pepper, if you can't keep criminals from victimizing the public, you shouldn't be in office.

Secondly, why do we need such a big maximum security jail in the first place? It seems to me that most of the county lock ups are non violent DUI's and drug abusers; hardened criminals go to the state pen. Why can't we just slap up a bunch of quonset hut style barracks for the non violent, low risk, jail population and leave the Queensgate and downtown jails for the more violent offenders. That would keep the cost of this jail to the low millions instead of the 100 million plus.

Third, in order to get the endorsement of the city of Cincinnati, this thing is more than just a jail; it's got all kinds of horrible government treatment programs slapped on it.

So as far as I'm concerned, I'll agree with Chris Smitherman for the only time in my life... this boondoggle is big 'ole hell no.

The BTN wants to charge local carriers $1.10 per subscriber for the service but they want the cable companies to eat that charge.

They charge non-midwest carriers $.10 for the network.

What gives?

First the BTN is horrible. It's football season, yet on a Saturday afternoon you can catch a compelling Indiana-Minnesota football match up at 12:00 and then, at 3:30 you'll be able to get a great Northwestern-Michigan St. field hockey game.

During the week, you can catch compelling reruns of games and analysis by retired coaches and players who are barely literate.

This weekend's game of OSU and Wisconsin is an anomaly to the normal broadcast schedule.

My suggestion. Give it up Big Ten. The NFL network can't make their network go, how can you?

Let's go back and start with counting the number of teams in your league. Then let's work on getting more than three national championships in the past forty years. After you accomplish those things, we'll talk.

On the wall of Hsiao Yen Wang's apartment, a cramped, 17th-floor public housing unit on the city's Lower East Side, are photographs of her husband, David Guo, a cook who specializes in Fujian cuisine.

One photo stands out: Guo shaking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's hand, a memento from a $1,000-a-person fundraiser for the New York senator held in New York's Chinatown last April.

The genesis of this article is about the Hildebeast's campaign contributions from the Chinese. But what caught my attention.... How does someone in subsidized housing have $1,000 to blow on a politician.

Here's an idea, why don't you pay for your rent with that money. Essentially the government subsidized the Clinton campaign with the subsidized housing.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Senator Joe Biden, you dissing anyone's experience for anything is hilarious. Joe buddy, let me clue you in. You are a US senator. You are not qualified to put together my 6" BMT from Subway. The only thing you might qualify for is whoring, but even that might be an insult to whores.

By the way, I remember your incredible leadership qualities on the one thing you did run; the senate confirmation hearings on Justice Clarence Thomas. PT Barnum never put together a circus better than the one you presided over.

I think there's plenty of criticism one can level on Rudy. Just read a conservative blog or two. But for you Joe, I think you should just keep your criticisms to your fellow US senators.... they wouldn't have a clue what you're talking about.

As I mentioned in the precious post, I was downtown at a seminar to catch up on my continuing education requirement for my CPA license.

Most of these affairs are dryer than the Sahara. So to occupy my time, I'm checking out the scenery in the room. Question. Is it possible for there to be a homelier group of people than accountants? You couldn't find a hot woman with a search warrant.

Why can't we have conventions like the auto business, with all those hot girls modeling in front of cars? Or the AVN?

The AICPA and OSCPA started a campaign a few years ago to attract people to the profession. I've got an idea, bring in some honeys for some big ole parties, that might attract a few people.

I get to downtown Cincinnati during a weekday three or four times a year. When I used to work downtown (12 years ago), the streets and sidewalks were crowed and nearly resembled Manhattan (for at least a few blocks).

So I went downtown today for a seminar. Man what a ghost town. Instead of Manhattan, it resembles downtown Lancaster.

As much of a free enterprise guy I am, it is disappointing to see a bustling downtown decay to a town square.

It seems to me that if the mental giants on Cincinnati City council want to inject life into the city, they really need to shift the mix of properties from office/retail to residential. I shelled out 8 bucks for three hours of parking. People are just not going to drive 40 minutes out of the way so they can pay to park when they can simply drive into a suburban shopping mall for free.

Or they can just keep managing to the lowest common denominator of city life and that's exactly what they'll have.

Now the ABA should be happy. You may remember last month, when the ABA requested that the guv suspend executions until he got to review the policy.

But there really is no need. You see, Brian must have read my blog because he committed two counts of aggravated murder and didn't get the death penalty. For those that need a refresher here's how you avoid an Ohio death sentence.

1) Don't commit crime.2) If you have to commit crime, don't commit aggravated murder.3) If you have to commit aggravated murder, don't do it in Hamilton County. Joe Deters refuses to plea bargain death penalty cases; unlike Cuyahoga County, where you can probably plea bargain an aggravated murder charge to time served with the right PD.

OK. So Brian, didn't follow the first two. But he did follow #3. Clermont County took the death penalty away for his guilty plea.

The only part of the democratic debate that I caught last night was the Hildebeast stammering around the driver's licenses for illegals. By the way, is she for it or not?

In any event, one thing that I kept thinking as I watched the exchange on the question, the GOP nominee better be really careful as not coming off as being too macho around Hillary. I don't think it's going to take a whole lot to get women sympathetic to a woman being aggressively maligned.

Since it's Halloween, let's use this metaphor.

Think of being a really macho guy saving Jamie Lee Curtis from Mike Meyers and Jamie Lee is standing there waiting to be attacked when she develops sympathy for 'ole Mike (from the story Donald Pleasance told her about his poor childhood). You come busting into the room and put a blow torch to his eyes.

She'll know it was the right thing but she'll feel sorry for him anyway. It's why I'll be shivering tonight watching Halloween I, II, III, 18 and 75; it will become clear that we may never be able to kill off the Hildebeast.

Walter Williams in true Walter Williams fashion points out the same issue.

Excerpt

In 1971, only about 32 percent of all Americans enjoyed air conditioning in their homes. By 2001, 76 percent of poor people had air conditioning. In 1971, only 43 percent of Americans owned a color television; in 2001, 97 percent of poor people owned at least one. In 1971, 1 percent of American homes had a microwave oven; in 2001, 73 percent of poor people had one. Forty-six percent of poor households own their homes. Only about 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. The average poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other European cities.

Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars. Seventy-eight percent of the poor have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception; and one-third have an automatic dishwasher.

What do you think distinguishes the high and low poverty populations? The only statistical distinction between both the black and white populations is marriage. There is far less poverty in married-couple families, where presumably at least one of the spouses is employed. Fully 85 percent of black children living in poverty reside in a female-headed household.

To add to WIlliams, I once read somewhere (I can't locate the source) that if a person graduates from high school, marries before having children and doesn't do drugs the likelihood that family will ever live in poverty is less than .5%.

So I would offer hat poverty is not an economic term as much as an emotional state of mind.

For the past couple of weeks, Midas and I have done several posts outlining the confiscation of freedoms by the state of Ohio.

No more gambling, checking out strippers, smoking, etc. within these borders. Late last week, Midas posted on the ban of trans fat from Ohio foods. On it's face, it seemed out right ridiculous.

But is it? Why shouldn't we ban trans fats? Why shouldn't we ban alcohol & cigarette sales altogether? Why shouldn't we make it illegal for people to not wear bike helmets in their cars along with their seat belts and air bags?

As soon as a democracy empowers a government to do anything, no matter how benevolent the intent, we empower a government to do anything for any reason; and it's governance increases at an exponential rate.

Gordon, that's ridiculous.

Is it?

People who call themselves conservatives, who bitch all the time about the role of government in their pocketbooks, are the first to line up when they want the government to ban a strip club or casino. But why shouldn't they? Someone has already stolen their liberty in the form of taxes. Why shouldn't they throw down the old "turn about is fair play" card?

But Gordon, money isn't liberty.

It isn't. let's play a game. I give you $10,000. Are you now more free or less?

The same works in converse.

I've never gotten that whole labeling of conservative on fiscal issues, liberal on social ones, thing.

In my mind, you either believe in freedom or you are a socialist. There really cannot be a middle ground. Once the state is able to seize your wealth to do for another, you have more than the right to demand they do something for you and that's exactly what you are seeing in the state of Ohio.

I don't like strippers so let's ban them. Well, I'll call that and raise you a minimum wage. Oh yeah, well take that public smokers. OK, well, I'm going to take that and call you on your pay day loan operation. Well, if your going to shut down my pay day loan operation I'm going to vote for a mandatory sick day policy. You want mandatory paid sick days. Well I want a trans fat ban so you won't be sick so often.

And all this....... occurring within the past year.

So Ohioans need to make a call. We are either a state of freedom or we'll be a socialist republic. In which case I'm heading the hell out of here along with all my rich, smoking, drinking, trans fat eating buddies.

Dave at Nix Guy and Wide Open has a post about regulation of the pay day lending industry.

I'm still trying to figure out what the big deal is about these industries and why they need regulating.

Well Gordon, these businesses rip off poor people that don't know any better or are desperate.

First, I would disagree with the premise that poor people "don't know any better". But beyond that, have you ever been in a convenience store and watch these same "poor" people gobble up lottery tickets, beer and cigarettes? It's probably a contributing factor as to why they are poor and/or desperate.

Second, the Ohio Lottery might be the biggest rip off of the poor that could possibly exist. The lottery pays off less than 60% in payouts, it seizes on the desperation of poor people looking to get rich quick, and it's sucked billions of dollars out of poor neighborhoods that would be spent on something a lot more productive than a get rich quick dream. Why are we not talking about shutting it down?

Third, let's talk about all the sin taxes that have been foisted upon beer and cigarettes, taxes that disproportionately impact the poor.

So what gives? When is it OK to screw the poor? When we use the money for schools? Remember the businesses that profit from these pay day loan businesses also pay income taxes which fund the schools. Does that make it more palatable?

I'm not out to defend the pay day loan business. I do think that the people that run these as well as the Jackson Hewitts & JD Byrider's of the world are first class scum bags. But no one forces anyone to go to these businesses, just like no one forces anyone to buy lottery tickets.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, where housing prices are the highest in the nation, risky interest-only loans went from being 11 percent of all new mortgages in 2002 to being 66 percent of all new mortgages in 2005.

Study after study has shown that housing prices are highest where government restrictions on building are the most severe. That is the ugly result of pretty words like "open space."

Why were lenders lending to people whose prospects of repaying the loans were below average -- that is, "subprime"?

Government laws and policies, especially the Community Reinvestment Act, pressured lenders to invest in people and places where they would not invest otherwise. Government also created the temporarily very low interest rates that made the mortgages seem affordable for the moment.

I'm no fan of Charlie Rangel. However, according to this piece in the Wall Street Journal, he has introduced legislation to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax.

But Gordon, that's good right?

Yes it is. Unfortunately, the AMT has been a problem that's festered since the mid 1990's. Repealing the AMT is supposedly popular with the leadership of both parties. So why is it that something that's so unpopular is taking so damn long to get rid of?

By the way, if you think the AMT is going to go away anytime soon. Don't count on it.

Edwards, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina, says the federal government should underwrite universal pre-kindergarten, create matching savings accounts for low-income people, mandate a minimum wage of $9.50 and provide a million new Section 8 housing vouchers for the poor. He also pledged to start a government-funded public higher education program called "College for Everyone."

Other things promised but not in the article...... free platform shoes for midgets, electrolysis for men or women with hairy backs, mints for folks with halitosis, hair for balding accountants and life for every dead Chicago voter.

According to the GAO, Edwards promises amount to 42.9 gabillion dollars. Edwards will raise the money by retracting tax cuts for the rich

In this fall's election, my community will be voting on a tax levy which will be used to fund a community center run by the YMCA.

As a libertarian, I'm obviously against using tax dollars for things the private sector can and does all the time. If the YMCA wants to run a rec center, put it up without a subsidy. So I'm with my neighbor, who put this sign up over the weekend.

But what caught my attention is the quote "Why tax all for a few?". Isn't that the essence of all taxes? We all kick in for programs that few actually use.

The guy that posted this sign (a democratic councilman no less) has no problems using tax dollars for things like libraries & schools. In fact, he was on the committee for the last school district levy. Schools that less than half the households in this community have kids in.

But Gordon, those things enhance an entire community not just the people who use them.

The same argument could be made for this rec center. At present, this community has no public pool. We could use an amenity like a public pool. So what gives?

So I agree with my democratic neighbor. From now on, the next time I see him I'll propose this slogan to him "Only tax all, when all benefit".

Remember after Katrina, when Al Gore, proclaimed that global warming would result in all this hurricane activity in the gulf.

Apparently, this year was the lowest in tropical storm activity in 30 years. In fact, the lack of activity has resulted in a big ole drought in the southeast, which depends on those tropical storms for most of their annual rainfall.

Coming soon from a local alarmist near you, global warming is the cause no hurricane activity and it's all Bush's fault.

As always, Michael Barone has a great analysis on the lack of party themes; both democratic and republican.

Excerpt

Today's parties lack such narratives. The Democratic Party is all about, well, listen to its rhetoric. It's all about opposing George W. Bush and all his works. But where to go from there?

But he also gets his licks on republicans

The Republicans are no better. Many say the party must go back to Ronald Reagan, and the Reagan narrative is at least of recent vintage. Reagan taught that government had grown overlarge and must be cut back and that America must be the assertive champion of freedom and democracy. The problem is that none of the Republican presidential candidates occupy Reagan's place on the political spectrum, and the problems we face are not those that confronted Reagan in 1980.

When I first picked up on this article Friday (HT BOTW), I was incensed and all set to post on this whiny little weasel. After thinking about it over some beers, I thought I would just ignore it.

But after the weekend, I'm back to incensed.

Here are little Junior's problems.

I did what every upstanding citizen is supposed to do. I went to college. I took out loans so I could enroll at Alfred University, a pricey private school. The next year, I transferred to the more finance-friendly University at Buffalo, where I could commute from home and push carts part-time at Home Depot.

I related my forthcoming debt to puberty or a midlife crisis — each an unavoidable nuisance; tickets required upon admission to the next stage of adulthood. But as interest rates climbed and the cost of tuition, books and daily living mounted to galactic proportions,

I realized this was more than some paltry inconvenience.

Upon graduating, I was helplessly launched headfirst into the “real world,” equipped with a degree in history and $32,000 in student loans. Before ricocheting back home, I would learn two important lessons: 1) There are no well-paying — let alone paying — jobs for history majors. 2) The real world is really tough.

First, did this guy do any research on the job market for "history" majors? To my knowledge, unless you want to teach and/or work for the government, your choices are limited. I was no worldly college student when I went to school in the early 80's but even then, I knew that a history major was akin to majoring in unemployment.

Second, the real world is really tough and it's a hell of a lot tougher than sleeping in a bed at your parents home. When we're your parents planning on telling you this?

But that isn't what really got my shorts in a bunch, it was this little diddy.

Unfortunately, the recent passage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act doesn’t portend that times are a-changin’. The act reduces interest rates on Stafford Loans and increases Pell Grant awards. Whoopty-do.

There’s no question that this is a step forward. But we’re still talking pennies and nickels when we need to completely revolutionize the government’s role in financing post-secondary education.

College is a wonderful experience and something every young citizen should pursue. But without help, a college education is becoming an unaffordable rite of passage and a privilege of the affluent.

My loan payments can’t wait much longer, and soon I must leave home to find work that doesn’t compromise my integrity. Although I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I had declared as an accounting major and got a cushy job punching numbers somewhere, I’ll take my history major, my debt and my mom’s cooking any day of the week.

Look Kenny, you lack the intelligence and maturity to even be an accounting major. How could you possibly pass the CPA exam when you're so clueless you didn't realize that people aren't knocking down doors for history majors.

This baby has to be a democrat. How else could someone be so self absorbed as to think that we should all get a free education and not have to "compromise my integrity" for the degree in hand.

Do you think accounting was the lifelong passion for everyone in the profession? I wanted to be an NBA basketball player all my life. It was what I dreamed about all the time. Unfortunately, I was vertically challenged at 5'11". I didn't get to explore my dream and neither does anyone else.

The rest of the world decided that things like being employed and living away from their parents at the age of 24 was more important than being self actualized as a history major.

So little Kenny, I would feel sorry for your parents, except they helped create the self absorbed, little twit you turned out to be.